Have you ever walked into a stadium where half the crowd is rooting for the other team? What about a crowd where some people would rather read books than cheer for a TD? How about hearing bland chants that have no underlying tradition? If you haven’t experienced these things, consider yourself lucky. If you have, then you have attended a game at Stanford Stadium.
It’s not a surprise the Cardinal have an apathetic fanbase. Christian McCaffrey has a story that perfectly encapsulates this apathy. McCaffrey told the Athletic, “I’ll never forget this. My sophomore year against UCLA, I had a heck of a game. I biked to the dorm, I’m kind of on a high horse. I walk in, and 6 or 7 people ask where I was. I think I had something like 243 yards rushing, four touchdowns. And they didn’t know where I was.”
Why is the Stanford fanbase so bad?
Stanford does have some things working against it. First, the undergraduate population is small, with less than 7,000 undergrads attending the university. Second, it does compete in a market with pro-franchises like the 49ers and previously the Raiders. But it’s also the simple fact that college sports don’t matter in the Bay Area.
In the South, the college football team represents the state in a lot of ways. You don’t have to be affiliated with the University of Arkansas to don a Hogs cap. Certainly UGA’s championship last year was celebrated by people across Georgia, not just those who attended the school.
It feels like many Bay Area residents, don’t find pride or identity to be in either Stanford or UC Berkeley. Certainly the selectivity and elitism of both schools could prevent casuals in the area from identifying with either. But if both schools can’t somehow ingratiate themselves with the average fan, then their attendances will remain poor.
To read more about Stanford football this upcoming season, click here.
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